Tuesday, February 12, 2013

What
happens when extreme weather meets extreme beer? Sadly, the weather wins. At
least it did this time.

Captain
Lawrence had planned to make the schlep up I-95 to be represented at the
Extreme Beer Fest in Boston this past weekend, but 2 1/2 feet of snow gave the Big
Dig a whole new meaning in Massachusetts. So the good people of Massachusetts
will have to wait a bit to try the Captain’s extreme entries, including pilot
batch No. 27, Chocoholic Stout, along with Smoke From the Oak aged in rum
barrels, and the fearsome Frost Monster imperial stout. It would’ve been the
first venture outside the brewery for the Frost Monster, which is likely to
weigh in at a frightful 15% ABV.

The Extreme
Beer Fest will be rescheduled, though no date has been set. Frost Monster will
continue to ferment until then.

Amidst
this brutal winter weather, is it too early to start thinking about St.
Patrick’s Day? Not at Captain Lawrence. The brewery has a handful of special
brews in the works that offer a tip of the tam o’shanter to the patron saint of
beer, including a dry Irish stout and a red IPA. Producers of world-class craft
brew right here in Westchester, Captain Lawrence wouldn’t go near that seasonal
cliché known as green beer, right?

They
found a compromise by adding the green nutritional supplement known as spirulina
to the mix. (For what it’s worth, the Aztecs swore by spirulina back in the 16th
Century. But you probably knew that.) The end result, in a knowing nod to the bubbly
green potable that rankles the beer purists in mid-March every year, is a beer
called Gimmicky Green Ale. Look for it in the tasting room as St. Pat’s
approaches. And remember—spirulina is a lot healthier than food coloring.

New
stuff aside, a few old favorites are back in the tasting room after a hiatus.
The Ginger Man Ale, a Belgian-styled amber brewed with ginger
in conjunction with the beloved Manhattan craft brew cathedral The Ginger Man,
is back. So is the Xtra Gold American Tripel Ale, which has not been
seen around the tasting room in several months. Offering a distinctive mix of
Belgian yeast strain and Amarillo hops, it’s in bottles and on draft in the
tasting room.

And on
the heels of producing its first ever India Pale Ale, brewed with aromatic
Yakima hops, Captain Lawrence is taking on another first in the brewery’s seven
year history: A lager. Justin Sturges is piloting that project; made with
German yeast, there’s no name yet for his lager creation.

In
closing, if you’ve ever experienced the challenge of fitting in a weekend visit
to the brewery amidst the usual domestic duties—or, more likely, you’ve
experienced the challenge of fitting in the domestic duties amidst the usual
visit to the brewery—you will have more weekend time to do both. As of February
20,

Captain Lawrence will be open Saturday and
Sunday. Enjoy your day of rest with a really good local craft beer.

Captain Lawrence Brewing, at 444 Saw Mill River Road in Elmsford, is
open Tuesday through Friday (retail 2-7 p.m., samples 4-7 p.m.); and Saturday,
with retail and samples 12-6 p.m., and brewery tours on the hour, starting at
1. The author is paid by Captain Lawrence, partially in Freshchester Pale Ale,
for “Notes From the Tasting Room.”